Footscray, VIC 3011
Pho is the
best medicine there is, and as a pharmacist-to-be, I don’t say this lightly.
It cures everything from colds to unhappiness to a big night out. If everyone
just ate more pho, the world would be a happier place.
Hung Vuong came with
the recommendation as the best pho in Melbourne by a fellow pho enthusiast. And
it had better be, considering the unseasonably cold weather, complete with
lashings of rain and wind that we had to brave to get to the restaurant.
The interior was a lot more spacious and modern compared to most
pho pit-stops, but the slightly grotty tables piled with miscellaneous sauces, a
thermos of tea, and handfuls of chopsticks were reassuring (???) signs of
authenticity. The hot, strong tea was a welcome stomach warmer after shivering
our way through the wind and rain. The menu is written up on a big board in
English, Vietnamese, and Chinese, and it contains all the basic dishes you
could want, but nothing you wouldn’t expect.
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| Small Special Beef Pho ($8) |
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| Small Special Beef Pho ($8) |
The most important aspect of pho is the stock, so the first
thing I do whenever someone places a bowl of pho in front of me is take a sip
of the soup. And this soup was good. Like holy
balls good. It was heady with beef and spice and the right amount of
sweetness, the clean flavour untainted by the devil’s MSG. However, it was let
down by the fact that it was hovering somewhere between warm and hot. And once
I chucked the sprouts and basil in, it was settled firmly into being lukewarm. For
a Small Special Beef Pho ($8),
there could have been more offal (I only had one slice of beef ball, albeit a
very good one that was studded with black pepper), and the bowl could have been
larger. Though I’m hard-pressed to be annoyed about either of those things, not
when there’s a generous serve of the slippery , slurpy noodles topped with an
equally generous amount of thinly sliced, beautifully pink beef brisket, all
bathed in that glorious, glorious soup.
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| Grilled Chicken on Rice ($10) |
The plate of Grilled
Chicken on Rice ($10) is a refined departure from the norm of golden
slabs of pan fried chicken draped over rice. Instead, a deboned piece of
chicken was carefully cut up and grilled until golden. The meat was sweet from
a light glaze and tender and from careful cooking, served with the essential
garnishes of cucumber slices and carrot pickles. Bonus points to the soup for
being fragrant with fried spring onion.
I can certainly understand why Hung Vuong is such a hit with
pho-lovers everywhere; a killer stock combined with medium-rare beef slices makes
for a good meal any day of the week. However, I think their downfall is in the
little things; the temperature of the soup and the freshness of the garnishes
may seem like minor issues, but they nevertheless impact on the overall
experience. They already have a soup that’s good enough to drink down to the
dregs; a little more attention to detail would make this the best pho in
Melbourne, hands down.
Rating:
14/20 – vuong is well hung and makes an excellent soup too
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